Unless otherwise noted, all quotes on this page are the work of Lesley Stevenson. Please ensure proper attribution when sharing. Thank you!
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The first few steps of any lateral exercise are generally the most beneficial. So shorter periods of lateral work interspersed more frequently into your schooling is often the most productive.
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From Facebook fan Rachel Mackmin ~ "Shoulder control established with outside rein and thigh allow us timid riders to let go of that inside rein! It's so hard to give that inside rein to a spooky horse!"
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When your elbows leave your sides your shoulders are even more prone to tension.
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"Contact has to be just that, contact. People think 'oh this horse is very light I have nothing in my hand' – this is wrong because then you have no contact to his hind legs." ~ Jean Bemelmans
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In a good connection, the rider's hands should breathe with the horse's mouth.
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Always aim to ride your horse with as long of a neck as possible. Look for the feeling that they are truly seeking the connection. When the neck becomes too short, the horses' backs are essentially "jammed up."
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"Most people try to pull the neck down. NO. We want to raise the base of the neck and we don’t need gimmicks – I haven’t used draw reins for sixty years. Getting the horse’s head down is a consequence of active hind legs. When the hind
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If you are working with a very bold jumping youngster, and have plans to take him up the levels, it is a good idea to have a plan to teach him to be economical when jumping into water and off of drops. This means doing something a little different… and
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"If you don’t take into account the fact that the horse is narrower through the shoulders than the croup, and you try to straighten the horse, you will place his outside parallel to the wall, but not his spine. Therefore you will miss the goal of riding him
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"Half my work in canter is in counter canter. I live in counter canter." ~ George Morris
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"Lightness sounds very good, if it is light, but it is better if it is not too light because a horse that is too light in the hand is more difficult to ride than a horse that is a little bit heavy on the hand. Okay we always have
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The tempo in the rein back should be the same as in the walk. Don't let your horse rush through the rein back.
